Rootbound
by The Light's Refrain
Summary: Sometimes it's possible to be too close. But is total separation the answer? The Striaton Trio post-BW2. COMPLETE!
1. Chili

_Hello there! This is a four-part story involving the Striaton Trio post BW2. This first entry, from Chili's POV, is actually a polished-up drabble from an old drabble tag, but it felt like the best intro to this story. _

_This story is dedicated to my friend reppad98 :). It is also for the General Prompt Challenge on Pokemon Fanfiction Challenges (where I also met reppad) using prompt 83 - Figment._

**_Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, I'd have the Striaton Trio as my three chefs :D. But I don't, so popcorn and Doritos it is.._**

Rootbound

**_Pokeball 1: Chili_**

_"Hey, everybody, look at me!" Marth, Super Smash Bros. Melee._

Chili had a problem. It was a problem worse than poor tips, spoiled meals and lost battles. It was worse than cold days, rude customers, and getting lost in Castelia City after dark. It was even worse than that one time when he got burned by his angry Pansear, and neither Cilan or Cress were home.

He wanted out of the Striaton Gym.

He hadn't told his brothers, those siblings he was supposed to be perfectly in sync with. "In sync" didn't mean being exactly like them: they had always been different from each other. But it was because of those differences that they could perform perfectly together, balance each other out. Others joked that they were weak because it took three of them to run a single Gym, but that was the _point. _Their Gym went beyond a single type of Pokemon. Their badge represented _teamwork _and_ unity. _That was just as important for beginning Trainers to learn as type differences, wasn't it? So those other Gym Leaders could jeer all they wanted, because it was never going to change. It was the way it had always been. It was the way it should be.

So why did he want it to end? Why did he want to tear through the walls like a rampaging Boufflalant and rush into the wilderness? _Alone_? He had never been alone, and had never wanted to be alone. Until now. He didn't understand it.

Did he want all the glory to himself? He always liked attention, and it didn't matter who it was from, whether children, adults, or Pokemon. Even Cilan had said what a ham he could be. But geez, that was nothing compared to Cress's ego, wasn't it? Why was he being blamed for something that was more Cress's problem? Why did Cilan lecture him, as if he were a parent instead of a brother only a few minutes older than him? Why couldn't he just be himself. Why couldn't he…

…Maybe it would be nice to strike out on his own, and not have to share anything with his brothers. But that was selfish, wasn't it?

But he began to notice something. The way Cilan was especially quiet. The way Cress's elegant words started having a trace of curtness to them, even when he smiled. How Cilan preferred to do the cleaning by himself in the evening, even though their extra help would have finished the job much faster. How Cress glared at Chili when he dropped and broke a dish

It wasn't just him. They were all breaking. They all wanted out.

That unity…When did it become just a figment?

_IIIIII_

_I always found that sudden competitiveness the Striaton Trio had post-BW2 strange and kind of sad. But natural too, I suppose._

_I'll try to update this fairly quickly. I'll see if I can have this complete by the end of January._

_Happy New Year everyone! :D _


	2. Cilan

_Hi again! This time we have a glimpse into Cilan's POV!_

_**Pokeball 2: Cilan**_

"Must you _really_ dress so sloppily?" said Cress to his red-haired bother, crossing his arms and looking displeased.

"Of course! 'Cause I slept in late _and_ I got a whole buncha Trainers to burn through!" Chili exclaimed. His bowtie was lopsided and his hair was only half-done. "Better late than never getting there because I spent two hours getting ready, unlike _you_!"

"But _really_, we have a reputation to keep," said Cress, apparently not impressed with Chili's spiel. "Ah, brothers...well, they say keep your friends close but your enemies closer..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Chili.

Cilan stood in the doorway, hands full of new Badges, and watched his brothers' spat. He sighed and shook his head.

_Home sweet home..._

He continued on his way like it was nothing. And really it was nothing…really…

The brothers had always had spats over stupid things, particularly _those_ two. If they could cooperate even a little better, it would be so much more peaceful around here. But no, they were always there, fighting or bragging, and it was always up to Cilan to be the referee. And lately it only seemed to be getting rowdier…

Really, was it too much to ask for some silence? To sit back, doing nothing, and take in the sweet air and the glorious sunrises and sunsets? Of course he wanted to be strong, but everything around him was always in such a rush. So much so that he always got pulled into that rapid whirlpool of activity. No, _they _were the ones who always yanked him into that chaotic tornado. He _never _had any privacy, _ever_. Not as a triplet.

Being left adrift, alone…that scared him. But to be in quiescence, hearing the leaves fall on the water, the soft footfalls of Pokemon, his own breath…the idea enthralled him.

But he had to be strong to do that…Yet, maybe it took a different strength than what his brothers thought as strength. Maybe…if only he could leave behind this _racket _and_ think…_

_IIIIII_

_I feel like Cilan is more of the "sufferer in silence" type, at least in this situation. _

_Next up is Cress! But that's probably obvious :P Feel free to tell me what you think!_


	3. Cress

_ Hello again! This time we being in Cress's POV into the mix._

_**Pokeball 3: Cress**_

The _nerve_ of it all!

Cress tried so hard to be independent. He never asked for help, or for favors. He trained on his own, in both cooking and Pokemon. He refused to be a burden, even if he was the youngest and the other two babied him anyway. After all, he was only the youngest by scant minutes. He groomed himself to be elegant, articulate, and respectful. If the ones addressed deserved all that, of course.

Yet his brothers only constantly criticized Cress, believing him to be stuck-up and selfish. Chili was usually the loud one, confronting Cress on anything from customer treatment to food preparation to training his Pokemon too roughly. Often Chili even picked on his sense of style and grace, just to nettle him. Cress was always ready with a reason and a retort, of course. Some days he almost relished the idea of another argument with Chili, to show off his superior skills in logic and debating. An acceptable target to let him vent some of the mindless anger building.

But though fighting with Chili could be almost fun, Cilan was aggravating because Cress _couldn't _fight him. Cilan had no interest in confronting, or resolving, anything, at least not directly. He crept away from any forward challenge or yelling, sometimes sad-eyed, sometimes glaring, almost always silent. Even doing Pokemon battles with him did little. Cilan usually won, for one, because he had the type advantage. But even when Cress did win, it had little effect on Cilan's mood or opinions, leaving the showdown hollow and pointless. At least Chili would _somewhat_ listen to him sometimes. Cilan was as unchanging as wood in a rainstorm.

They all blathered on about unity, as they always had. The ideal had turned into a screenplay, recited endlessly, and the words were faded ink. This wasn't unity. This was nothing but a tangle of wills rubbing each other raw. This smeared script demanded that they be unique in certain ways, yet only unique in a way that emphasized the balance of the unity. In almost everything else they had to be the same: all cooks, all Trainers, brothers inseparable.

Cress didn't want to be absorbed and unnoticed like a droplet in the sea. Nor did he yearn to be just a reflection of his siblings. He wanted to be…He _needed_ to be his own person, divided from Chili and Cilan. Surely _they_ needed to be their own beings too. Why didn't they understand that?

…It surely wasn't just him disrupting the harmony, was it?

_IIIIII_

_This story might end up in five parts instead of four, depending on how the next entry goes. Hope you're enjoying everything so far! Next part will be in the next few days/couple of weeks. _


	4. Clash

_Hello again! Here we go!_

_**Pokeball 4: Clash**_

It all started over in one of the double battles hosted by their restaurant. Cilan was partnered with the customer, while Chili and Cilan were partnered with each other.

It should have been an easy match for Chili and Cress, but, as often happened nowadays, their Pokemon got in each other's way as their Trainers bickered and kept changing orders. The Trainer was skilled as well, as his Unfezant took out most of the opposing Pokemon in two or three hits. Cilan won easily, and graciously accepted his victory. His brothers skulked off-stage together. The audience ate the sibling squabble up, as they always did.

When everyone was gone, leaving the triplets to clean up the mess, the mood was far more sour.

"Your Simipour knocked out my Simisage with its Scald attack!" Chili ranted, wringing his rag tightly as he squeezed out the water.

"Because you ordered it to get in the way!" Cress snapped back. "I thought we agreed that I would battle the Unfezant while you took care of Simisage!"

"But then I thought that would be too predictable, so I changed it!" Chili answered.

"Indeed, and you succeeded, because I didn't predict your plan either," Cress growled back.

"Um, r-really, that's enough," said Cilan with a timid smile. "You win some, and…uh, well, sometimes you don't."

"Yeah, easy for the winner to say," Chili replied. "You hardly even did anything in the match! It was all that dumb Unfezant."

"W-Well, I couldn't help that it moved, um, faster than any of my Pokemon…" Cilan answered. "I was just lucky, really, to have such a talented partner."

"Definitely lucky, considering you are _certainly_ the weakest one," Cress added. "You have the worst victory record of us all."

"Yeah, we would've beat you easy if that customer wasn't a stupidly good Trainer," Chili agreed.

Cilan glared at his siblings, but said nothing.

"Oh, pretending to be a tree again, brother?" Cress growled. "You're just too tall and mighty to bother with your brothers' opinions?"

Cilan still stayed silent.

"You think you can simply ignore anything that doesn't agree with you?" Cress went on. "You're not strong enough for that. You would be devoured on your own. Most likely in a literal sense, with nothing but bones for wild Stoutland to chew on."

At those words Cilan's stony stature began to wilt. But Cress had no time to savor it, as Chili punched him in the face.

"What the _hell_, Cress?" Chili spat, as a stunned Cress rubbed his cheek. "What makes you think it's okay to _say_ something like that? _You're_ the one who thinks he's better than everyone else! You don't even _pretend_ to hide it! And guess what? You're _not_!"

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ are?" Cress snarled.

"No!" Chili barked back. "We're _triplets_, dumbass! We're all equal! We're suppose to work together!"

"Then what's the point of us competing for the last several months?" Cress answered. "It's so we could see who was the best of us, right? It's so we each could become stronger on our own, right? So maybe I don't have to put up with you. Every. Single. Day. Right?"

"You wanna leave? Then get outta here!" Chili shouted. "Go on and see that the rest of the world won't put up with your crap either! You're nothing without us babying you all the time! Be better off without you! Don't even bother-"

"Leave," Cilan hissed, glaring at the ground. "Both of you."

Both brothers turned to Cilan in shock.

"What'd _I _do?" Chili protested, seeming almost hurt. "I was _defending_ you, dammit!"

"I…had have…enough. Of both of you," Cilan spoke quietly. "Always fighting, always shouting, always dragging me into things I don't want to do, blaming me for things that are not my fault." His narrowed eyes rose from the floor and locked onto them. "I hate fighting. I always have. I even hate Pokemon matches. The only reason I'm here fighting nonstop is because you two _forced_ me into it. We're supposed to be all about unity, but…" His eyes saddened. "It's not anymore. I don't know when that changed, but…it's not working. For any of us. We just clash."

No one said anything after that, because no one had a way to dispute it. Silently, separately, they went to their rooms, and spent their night thinking about where their solitary journeys would begin.

_IIIIII_

_So it's hit the boiling point, and they can't even pretend to get along..._

_But don't worry, it's not ending here. I'll be doing a final chapter to wrap this all up properly. It'll be up sometime in the next few days/weeks. See you then!_


	5. Conclusion

_And here we go, the final chapter! Enjoy!_

_**Pokeball 5: Conclusion**_

Unova was scandalized when its most famous triplets split up. Many gossiped about why such a thing had happened, blaming everything from faulty parenting to Shadow Triad conspiracies.

The triplets didn't care. They had their own lives to figure out.

Cress was the first to leave the country, setting sail for Kalos. There he dove into the heart of Lumioise city, swiftly blending into the culture of the area. Some joked that he was more Kalosian than many of the other native Gym Leaders. His elegant café tucked next to the Pokemon Center become a club only for the most dignified.

Chili lingered a bit, but soon headed out to Cinnabar Island in Kanto. He didn't stay there, or anywhere else, for long, as he blazed through his travels. Everyone he came across, he challenged, and then would invite to his self-made picnics. Sometimes he even tagged along with strangers for a few days. He had no fear: his Pokemon were strong, and getting stronger. Perhaps he would challenge a Pokemon League soon.

Cilan only left Unova in spurts, to visit famous natural spots or to sample rare cuisine. He focused entirely on perfecting his dishes, as his Pokemon played nearby. His abode in Pinwheel Forest was less house and more ever-expanding garden. His place became a welcome respite for travelers in an otherwise bug-infested forest.

A year passed, and then two. Each was happy in their own way. Yet, even with their dreams unfurling uninterrupted, there was still cavities left unfilled. They had barely spoken to each other in all that time, but they didn't need each other, right? They certainly couldn't live together like they used to, now that they all knew what it was to be free.

Another year breezed by, and they began to understand. They talked more often, even visited each other sometimes. And they were nice visits, because they no longer directly competed with each other. Though there would always be sibling rivalry, they had established their own paths. Their identities and desires were there own, not a part of a forced image. In that way, they were more balanced than ever. They were the Striaton Trio, strong individually as well as together.

They never shared a restaurant or Gym together again, but they did unite for special occasions. They joined to prepare feasts for the yearly Pokemon League tournaments, or performed mock battles to entertain the children at historic Kalosian plays. Their different styles and experiences pooled to form things no one else could mimic, causing all of them to soar.

That was when they became truly happy. Not because of the fame, though it was certainly welcome, but because they could appreciate each other as brothers and separate beings at once. No longer tangled, they grew side by side, three different elements creating a quintessential symphony.

_IIIIII_

_So that wraps it up! It's been a fun little ride, and I hope you guys liked it too! I appreciate everyone who has read, reviewed, faved, and followed this to the end :) Let me know what you think!_

_Cya!_


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